The Arts & Culture Journal

The collaborative work of Arocha & Schraenen

We're dipping into the archive this week with a look at Carla Arocha & Stephane Schraenen's first joint exhibition - 'Gloria' - held at the Vegas Gallery, London between 15th October - 22nd November 2009.

Arocha & Schraenen have been collaborating on installation since 2006. Equally established artists in their own right, their unison as a pair produces works as diverse in their appearance as the influences behind them. Architecture is clearly drawn upon heavily, but more subtle is the presence of fashion and pattern.

The beauty of Arocha & Schraenen is that repeat viewing of their work yields a new experience - a fresh take. The triangular mirror sculptures at once conjure visions of an urban landscape, but then a collapsed stylized ladder; now simply a rigid mountain-scape of ice. With their solid structures changing meaning so sporadically - Arocha & Schraenen's work is a joy to behold.

And it's not just the structures themselves, the artists are obsessed with texture. These works carry a theme of mirror and reflection which combine to entice the viewer in and then throws them across the room. Consequently it is the space in which they are put, as well as the installation itself, that is important.

Gallery walls are bent, stretched and exhausted across the glass, but it is also the interplay with the public that ensures that no two experiences are the same. Sharing this space with Arocha & Schraenen's creation means you are instantly a part of it. Your own movement and observation affects, not only your own view, but also the view of other peoples as well.

The sculptures are engrossing like an Anish Kapoor but promise more vicious treatment